I had lost my paternal grandma before completing one year of age, so I knew her only by photo. Today I will walk my memory lane to recollect thoughts of my maternal grandma, who was an integral part in my childhood. 

Every summer vacation I used to spend at my grandma's place. Other than summer vacation, during Durga Puja and other festivities we used to pay visits to grandma. There were many things that connected me to those beautiful days. A specially famous samosa of that locality, called "Singara" in Bengali, was my staple breakfast during my sojourns at maternal uncle's house. I had five maternal uncles who were always ready with something or other to please my taste buds. 

While I am writing this blog, I am still trying to relish the taste of that special samosa with home-made puffed rice. It was simply a delight. In those days, my maternal uncle's house had a separate big kitchen room made of mud. Food used to cooked on a 'Chulha'. Sometime, smoke used to fill the kitchen room. I used to sit beside Grandma in the kitchen some time with a mango in my hand. In other times, I may have read a children's story book while sitting beside my grandma. 

There was a big pond where the whole community used to bathe and wash their utensils and clothes. The pond had a brick stair with twenty steps inside water, at ten or eleven step water level was well beyond my little head. I learn to swim on that pond. There were many stories in circulation about the pond; most of those were about ghosts and hidden treasures. 

The most precious time was after lunch, when my grandma used to tell me many stories. Sometime they were about kings and queens, sometimes about ghosts. I used to got lost in those stories. 

During Puja, my grandma used to make coconut-based special sweets. By sitting beside her, putting enough sweets in my small stomach not to spare any room for dinner. 

My mother belongs to a very large family, residing in separate houses in a close circle. In my childhood, I used to spend quality time with those families. I was the first nephew in the entire family, so I earned a little extra love and affection.

As I grew up, life changed. I got busy with my own life. And after I started my career, visits to the maternal house decreased. Sometimes it is just a cursory visit for an hour or so. In the after years, problems boiled over between my maternal uncles. So my mother also stopped visiting her first home. 

Time took a toll on the health of both my maternal grandma and grandpa. Hospitalisation became frequent. And one morning the news came: my grandpa passed away. 

In the following years, my grandma's health deteriorated further, and after prolonged bedridden suffering, she left us. I lost my childhood.